Bringing the premier event of indoor track to the finish line in Washington Heights

Norbert Sanders has a place in the record books—being the first and only native New Yorker to win the New York City Marathon.

Norbert Sander is founder and chief executive of the foundation that runs the track-and-field center at the Armory in Washington Heights. The center is home to indoor track's premier event, the Millrose Games, which will take place Feb. 11 and date back to a 1908 race among employees of Wanamaker's department store in Manhattan. Sander is a practicing physician and the only native New Yorker to win the New York City Marathon—which he did in 1974.

The Millrose Games used to be held at Madison Square Garden. Why move it?

The track at the Garden was only 160 meters around and four lanes wide, so it was pretty slow. Top athletes didn't want to run on it. But the bigger problem is that the audience for indoor-track events has shrunk quite a bit.

Dossier

WHO HE IS Founder and chief executive, The Armory Foundation, and a general practitioner in private practice on City Island

SALARY $238,000 from The Armory Foundation

AGE 74

BORN Yonkers

RESIDES Hastings-on-Hudson

EDUCATION Fordham University, Albert Einstein College of Medicine

RARE DISTINCTION In 1974 he became the first native New Yorker to win the New York City Marathon—and he’s still the only one who has. “I was up against some tough competitors, but the race wasn’t as popular as it is now. So my distinction might last forever.”

STICKS AND STONES He grew up across from a chicken farm in a rural part of Yonkers. His father was a pilot who worked for the Air Force’s Strategic Air Command; his mother, a secretary. Even so, when he attended Fordham Preparatory School, the other students mocked him for being a farmer from upstate.

FAVORITE RUN Along Riverside Drive, from West 86th Street to the George Washington Bridge. When he was training for the marathon, he would continue across the bridge and run north up to Alpine, N.J.

The Millrose Games weren't selling more than 5,000 tickets at the Garden at the end. By moving to a smaller facility where 5,000 is capacity and the crowd is really close to the action, we really improved the atmosphere and attracted better runners. You'll see the difference when NBC broadcasts the games live for the first time.

Does the Armory make money on the Millrose Games?

It's a very expensive event for us to produce. It costs about $700,000, and our total annual budget is only about $5 million. We kind of break even.

At least it gets people to run track, right?

We're about more than running around in circles. We have a lot of programs to help people who live in the area. We help teens study for the SAT, offer them college counseling and so on. It's not hard to be accepted into our programs, by the way; we just want commitment.

The Armory used to be a big homeless shelter. It still has one, doesn't it?

In the mid-'80s there were 2,000 homeless people living in the building, and you had to dodge them when you ran around the track. But things have changed. Today we have 200 homeless who live in a shelter underneath the Armory [and use] a separate entrance. In 23 years together we've learned how to cohabit.

What advice do you have for people worried about homeless shelters being set up near where they live or work?

We work all the time with the people who run the shelter. For instance, if there's graffiti on their entrance, I'll send someone to paint over it. We've held graduation ceremonies for people who moved to apartments. It's a mistake to ignore the shelter or pretend it's not there.

A lot of doctors complain that new rules and regulations have made their job difficult. How do you cope?

I still visit my City Island practice twice a week. I'm glad to be a general practitioner—you get to learn so many different things. But it's hard to hang out your shingle and get started now. You generally have to be part of a big group. A friend at Columbia told me none of his medical students plan to be general practitioners; they all want to be specialists. It's where the money is.

Any advice for someone thinking of taking up running?

Start by going easy. People forget that the best natural form of exercise is walking, so see if you can walk a mile, and add some jogging to it. Over time if you can run 3 miles, that's really good. Above all, get some fresh air. That'll make you feel better.

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